Chapter 115 – Is Something Wrong with Your Lord?
Ahhh!
The Hidden Sage's rune took effect; Madam M rolled on the floor, shrieking, her gorgeous face now twisted in agony.
Her body teetered on the verge of collapse. Slender, snow-white arms split open with deep, crisscross cuts; only scraps of flesh held them together, struggling to keep her whole.
Heh…
Lu Ze watched without pity, a rush of delight surging through him—so strong it drowned the pain of the wound in his belly, forcing a laugh from his throat.
Serves you right for coming after me.
No time to savor it. He braced his injured frame, stood swaying, then drew the revolver from its holster and leveled it at Madam M's head.
Bang! Bang!
The demon-hunting bullets screamed into her skull.
One shot, two.
Madam M's struggles and screams stopped; her body shrivelled, shrinking until it became a paper doll, rust-red and creased as if weathered for years.
Damn it—Shepherd really isn't that easy to kill.
Lu Ze had expected as much. Raising the gun, he swept the room and spotted Madam M standing inside the ritual array.
Some of her wounds had closed, yet the gashes remained obvious. Though her expression had calmed, pain and madness still flickered in her eyes; her mind was frayed.
Hidden Sage—it's actually the Hidden Sage… You defy our Lord's will; this is blasphemy.
Her voice turned hoarse and shrill, golden eyes blazing like coals in a furnace, her body nearly falling apart.
Oh? And then?
Lu Ze met her gaze without fear.
Still unwilling to give up, Madam M looked at him. "Last chance. Cooperate, or remember your little sister…"
Still trying to use Cecilia against me?
Bang!
Lu Ze answered with the revolver. After all that target practice, his aim had improved; the bullet struck her from several metres away and rocked her like a hammer blow.
Very well
she muttered venomously. "Remember—your sister dies because of you.
She raised her right hand, as though grasping something unseen, and crushed it. Tilting her head, she showed a cruel smile, waiting for the distant sound of Cecilia's body exploding. Moments later her face darkened further.
What's wrong? Didn't go as planned? Pity. Maybe something's wrong with your Lord? Hahaha!
Lu Ze laughed wildly at her distorted face, unable to contain his glee. All that effort—just for this moment.
Excellent.
Madam M drew a deep breath.
She lifted the bottle full of liquid.
Splash—crimson fluid poured onto the floor, seeping along the array's lines until the entire formation glowed strangely.
Lu Ze stared, startled.
Did that mean the stuff worked even if you only spilled it on the array, without drinking it?
Madam M paid him no mind. She lowered her head and pressed a devout, gentle kiss to the ruby-red rose ring.
Praise the Lord
she said.
Lu Ze noticed that after kissing the ring her wounds began healing faster, leaving only faint scars.
She's getting serious.
He dared not hesitate; his right hand clenched and hammered against the clockwork Clown on his chest.
Ahhh-ha-ha-ha!
A piercing laugh filled the room, giving him three minutes of heightened speed and bodily control.
Almost simultaneously Madam M raised her hand, finger-gun aimed at him.
Bang
she said.
Lu Ze's hair stood on end; his body moved before his mind, flinging him left. A fierce wind shrieked past as an invisible bullet slammed into the floor where he had stood.
Bang.
Before he could steady himself she fired another air-bullet; he could only dodge again.
Can't keep playing defence!
Catching a moment's breath, he sucked in air and shouted at her in ancient hermes, "Die!"
The gift he'd received upon becoming a Listener—Profane Tongue.
Ahh!
Madam M froze, features contorted in pain; her delicate brows knit as her hands clamped around her own throat.
The effect was stronger than before—no surprise. After the Hidden Sage's torment, a dose of Profane Tongue felt extra delightful.
Lu Ze understood.
Seeing the weakness, he pressed the advantage and shouted again:
"The Lord's gaze shall ever linger upon the earth, bringing corrupting gifts to His faithful. Blessed are those who believe in Him…"
This time he didn't spare a single word; drawing from the human-skin scripture, he recited the prayer in ancient hermes, wielding the authority of Profane Tongue.
Blasphemous, maddening voices flooded the room.
Ahhh!
Black veins surfaced over Madam M's body, swelling as though about to burst. Screaming, she turned two-dimensional and once more became a paper doll.
Another substitute!
But her substitutes couldn't be endless—just like that Demoness.
Lu Ze told himself, steeling his courage.
Suddenly he foresaw a vision: Madam M stepping from a flare of fire right in front of him.
Danger!
He lurched back, gun rising, and sure enough a blossom of fire erupted where he had stood; had he remained he'd have been swallowed by flame.
Bang!
He fired into the blaze and hit Madam M. Four demon-hunting rounds were gone; only two bullets remained in the cylinder, with no chance to reload.
How much longer before Cecilia arrives?
He sprang back, widening the gap, the question burning in his mind.
With both of them worn down, Cecilia would be a strong reinforcement—and she carried a Demoness-Pathway Beyonder artifact. Used well, it might tip the fight.
A-hem!
Without warning Lu Ze doubled over, coughing into his hand, his forehead suddenly blazing hot.
He was sick.
Madam M stood in place, watching him, a cold curve on her lips.
At her feet the liquid had filled the array, and the formation began to shine with a pale light.